"RAF" 2007 Obituary

RAFFAGHELLO o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-12 published
MATHESON,
CrawfordWallaceCaldwell
It is with great sadness that the family reports Crawford's passing
on November 9, 2007 in Toronto, in his 79th year. Beloved husband
of 54 years of Aileen Kelly
MATHESON.
Loving and wise Dad and
father-in-law to Linda, Neil, John, Louis
RAFFAGHELLO,
Saskia,
Kath and Laura
HALE.
Proud and beloved 'Papa' and good friend
of Julia, David, Claire, Simone, Virginia, Alex and Kate. Survived
by his dear brother Stan
MATHESON and his wife
Jean, of Saint
John, and sisters and brothers-in-law Kay
MATHESON of Halifax,
Phil MURRAY of Sydney Mines, Frank and Ruth
KELLY of Middle Musquodoboit,
Norma and Kent
STOREY of New Glasgow, and Harrison
KELLY of Sydney
River.Crawford was predeceased by brother Judge Lewis
MATHESON
and sisters Marjorie
MATHESON and Rebecca
MURRAY.
Born in Sydney
Mines in 1929, Crawford was the
son of Angus G.
MATHESON and
Sarah CALDWELL. In 1947, he began a 44-year career with the F.W. Woolworth
Company. His skill and dedication led him to executive positions
at the company's head Office in Toronto. 'Crawf' was an avid
bridge player, a long-time member of the Toronto Board of Trade
Golf and Country Club, and a recipient of a Fifty-Year Jewel
from the Royal Oak Masonic Lodge. Friends may call at the Turner and
Porter Butler Chapel, 4933 Dundas St. W., Etobicoke (between
Islington and Kipling Aves.) on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
A Memorial Service will be held in the Chapel on Thursday, November 15,
2007 at 3 o'clock. The family wishes to thank the staff of the
Cardiac Care Unit at William Osler Health Centre, Etobicoke,
for their care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, please make
a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to your favourite
charity. Fac et Spera

RAFFERTY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-05 published
BUCKBERROUGH,
David
Peacefully, on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at the Toronto Western
Hospital.Remembered by his loving wife
KathleenRAFFERTY, dear
brother John from Vancouver and many close family and Friends.
As Dave wished, a celebration of his life will be held at a later
date where we can share good memories of a great life. A special
thanks to Denis
O'KEEFFE for being there for his dear friend.
In Dave's memory, donations may be made to the charity of your
choice. Arrangements under the direction of Turner and Porter Butler
Chapel 416-231-2283.

RAFTER o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-07-20 published
Police say no foul play in woman's death
The Sun Times, Friday, July 20, 2007
Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a 51-year-old
Guelph woman whose body was found at a cottage on Saugeen First
Nation.
Grey County Ontario Provincial Police said Thursday that Janice
RAFTER was found by a friend at about 5 p.m. Tuesday at the small
rented cottage at 159 Ah-Sineese Road, near Bruce County Road 13.
Police were immediately notified. The Ontario Provincial Police
forensic identification unit from Mount Forest was called in
to assist while the Bruce Peninsula Ontario Provincial Police
and Western Region Ontario Provincial Police crime unit investigated
the death.
A post-mortem has been conducted, but police are not releasing
the cause of death.

RAFUSE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-04 published
Housekeeper's death at Mississauga mansion treated as foul play
By Omar EL
AKKAD and Jessica
RAFUSE,
PageA15The death of Jocelyn
DULNUAN, a Filipino-born, 27-year-old housekeeper
found inside a multimillion-dollar mansion on Monday, is likely
the result of foul play, Peel Regional Police say.
That sums up just about everything homicide detectives are willing
to say.
"The location was targeted for a specific reason that I am not
prepared to comment on today," Inspector Norm
ENGLISH, head of
the homicide bureau, said yesterday at a terse news conference.
"I do believe, though, that there was property taken from the
residence, however this needs to be determined after doing a
proper walk through with the homeowners," he said.
Ms. DULNUAN came to Canada last year on a work visa and worked
as a nanny in various locations across the Greater Toronto Area
before moving into the massive Mississauga home as a housekeeper,
Insp. ENGLISH said.
Both Ms. DULNUAN and the home - estimated to be worth more than
$10-million - may have been targets, he said, adding that Ms.
DULNUAN's
mother, who lives in Hong Kong, has been notified of her daughter's
death.
But as to what condition Ms.
DULNUAN's body was in, the cause
of her death, what items were taken from the home and a host
of other questions, Insp.
ENGLISH would only reply: "I'm not
prepared to discuss that."
Peel police spokesman Constable Adam
MINNION said homicide detectives
can sometimes choose to withhold information so as to not compromise
an investigation. "If [homicide detectives are] reluctant to
provide information, they must have their reasons," Constable
MINNION said. "Every situation's different. There must be something
they've seen there."
Police received a 911 call around 5 p.m. on Monday from one of
the homeowners inside the home. The homeowners, Vasdev (Dave)
CHANCHLANI and his wife
Jayshree, were not home at the time of
the incident, Constable
MINNION said.
Police have not yet publicly named any suspects.
At several Toronto churches with strong Filipino followings,
no one recognized Ms.
DULNUAN by name or photo yesterday.
She was also not registered with Intercede, a group that advocates
for the rights of domestic workers and caregivers.
"We've been getting calls all day," said counsellor Columbia
DIAZ, who is hoping to use the agency's contacts to get in touch
with Ms. DULNUAN's
Friends. "A lot of Filipina maids are worried
and want to know more, but there's not much that we know."
Ms. DIAZ said many caregivers and domestic workers prefer to
work in populated areas instead of secluded homes with limited
contact with the outside community.
Jo ACUNA, owner of Brampton-based Sunrise Placement Services,
said live-in nannies tend to apply for a work permit under the
federal live-in caregiver program.
The program stipulates that such employees must work in a private
home and be provided a private, furnished room within that home.
Ms. ACUNA said the largest portion of such workers arrive from
the Philippines, usually after first working in Hong Kong.
A representative from the Philippines consulate in Toronto said
the consulate has been in contact with Ms.
DULNUAN's mother,
who is trying to arrange the transportation of her daughter's
body back home.

RAFUSE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-16 published
Two bodies found in blazing van
Police waiting to question badly burned man who ran to nearby
house to summon help
By Timothy
APPLEBY and Jessica
RAFUSE,
PageA13
A brick bungalow on a quiet Scarborough street was under the
microscope of homicide detectives yesterday as they probed the
late-night discovery of two bodies inside a blazing van on a
remote, dead-end country road in King Township, charred beyond
recognition.
A badly burned man who managed to escape the inferno and stagger
to a nearby house for help was in hospital under sedation. Police
were still waiting to question him to determine whether he and
the other two occupants of the van were victims of a murder,
a botched murder-suicide attempt or some type of bizarre accident.
Further thickening the mystery was an unconfirmed report that
the Scarborough house to which the van was traced housed a marijuana
operation.
No names were released, pending identification of the victims
and notification of next of kin.
CTV News reported that the injured man's name is Bao
MAC,
46, and that his wife, Jocelyn, and daughter, Ashta, about eight
or nine years old, died in the burning van.
Constable Laurie
PERKS of York Regional Police would not confirm
reports that the dead were the man's spouse and daughter. She
did say, however, that no suspects were immediately being sought.
"It's weird, a very odd one, this."
By later afternoon, the two bodies were still in the van, protected
by a temporary canopy amid a thicket of trees. A source familiar
with the investigation said the pair were burned so badly that
an accelerant may have been used, and that DNA tests rather
than dental records might have to be relied on to confirm their
identity and establish how, when and where they perished.
Shortly before midnight Sunday evening, police responded to an
emergency call that brought them to an address near the Seventh
Concession and the Sixteenth Sideroad, west of Highway 400.
"A fellow had approached the gates of a gated home and buzzed
the intercom, requesting the lady to call 911," Constable
PERKS said.
"He had come from a van that when we arrived was fully engulfed
in flames. The officers tried to extinguish the fire but were
unable to. At the end, when the fire department extinguished
it, we found the bodies of two people inside, burned beyond recognition."
The vehicle was registered to a home on Barnsley Court in Scarborough,
near Warden Avenue and Ellesmere Road, cordoned off by yellow
tape yesterday as police detectives examined it.
Property records show that the house was purchased last year
for $324,000 by Mui Xui
VOONG.
But it was unclear whether Mr.
VOONG
lived in the home or had rented it out.
As police questioned everybody leaving and entering the street,
neighbours described a quiet Canadian-Chinese household that
was home to a couple and two young daughters. One resident said
the man of the house was a self-employed contractor named Kim.
Children's bicycles were propped alongside the home, a swing
set was in the yard and patio chairs and a barbecue were perched
on a new deck.
Morris CHANCE, whose backyard adjoins the property, voiced dismay
that tragedy had struck the peaceful neighbourhood where he has
lived for more than 30 years.
"They're just normal, quiet people," he said. "It's shocking
news. He was a really nice guy, always smiling, saying 'hi.'"

RAFUSE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-10-18 published
Death of elderly Scarborough couple suspected murder-suicide
By Jessica
RAFUSE,
PageA12
The death of an elderly couple marks the city's second suspected
murder-suicide in less than a month, sparking concerns about
the issues geriatric caregivers face when they are ill themselves.
A woman visiting her parents' Scarborough home late Tuesday evening
discovered the body of her 81-year-old mother in a bedroom. She
had a gunshot wound to the head. Police later found her 83-year-old
father in a car in the garage, also shot in the head.
Neighbours say the elderly woman had cancer, while her husband,
who had been her primary support and caregiver, was recently
hospitalized for heart complications.
"I guess he just couldn't cope any more," said neighbour Ramon
SMITH, who is 75 and takes care of his wife, who suffers from
Alzheimer's disease.
The scene in Scarborough was eerily familiar for Toronto police,
who just last month found the bodies of Percy
STEIN, 66, and
his mother Sarah
GRUPSTEIN, 84, in a condominium downtown, in
what is also believed to be a "mercy killing."
Rather than succumb to the stomach cancer Mr.
STEIN was battling
and leave his wheelchair-bound mother to be sent to a nursing
home, he decided to end their lives himself. He shot her before
killing himself on the bed beside her. He left a note.
Benoit MULSANT, clinical director of geriatric mental health
at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, said these cases
highlight an important type of murder-suicide in which an individual
who is taking care of an older person, usually debilitated and
dependent, comes to the "distorted conclusion" that they are
both better off dead.
"When looked at, it first appears to be humane," said Doctor
MULSANT.
"But the person who is killed is not consulted and not able to
express his or her opinion."
While murder-suicides are rare, depression and feelings of hopelessness
are not a natural part of aging and need to be treated, Doctor
MULSANT
said.
"People expect older people to be miserable, so this makes it
acceptable. But, wrongly so."
The uncertainty of what lies ahead, loss of companionship and
the shifts in roles and responsibilities are some of the major
challenges elder caregivers deal with, said Arlene
CONSKY, a
social worker for Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.
The difficulties with coping and adjusting to these changes can
be a source of depression, especially when caregivers are battling
illnesses of their own, and have negative consequences on their
behaviour and frame of mind if left untreated.
Dr. MULSANT advises people to pay serious attention when individuals
make negative comments about their life, have sleeping problems,
are experiencing weight loss or lose passion and interest in
their usual activities.
It's important to watch for these symptoms because many elderly
patients who suffer from them won't necessarily bring them up,
often due to the stigma surrounding mental illness and old age.
Dr. MULSANT also reminds people that if they're concerned about
someone, they shouldn't be afraid to ask them if they are thinking
about death or want to die for fear they're planting ideas in
their head.
"Many people are relieved that someone cares," Doctor
MULSANT said.
"Many people who are suicidal will tell you the truth and are
happy that you want to help."
Accessing support and services that assist caregivers is one
of the most important steps to reducing rates of depression,
said Ms. CONSKY.
"Knowing they're not alone and not the only ones has a way of
transforming the way they're coping from a victim to an empowered
person," she said.